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I Love Him, But . . .
From comparing notes with friends to conducting a survey that spread across the country, Merry Bloch Jones has been a collector of quirks and foibles - specifically the little, unexpected things men do that make their wives crazy. And what treasure she's found. Here, from hundreds of eager-to-share women (first names only, please), comes one juicy detail after the next, and a whimsically candid portrait of husbands in America. "He's CEO of his company. If anyone knew this, the stock would drop. He sleeps in his shorts, and every morning, when he takes them off to shower, he blows his nose in them and drops them on the bathroom floor."-Heather, Chicago, IL. "He used coupons to pay for our anniversary dinner."-Dolly, New York, NY. "He truly believes there's no such thing as a bad pun."-Eleanor, New Haven, CT. "Every night, settling in, he grunts. I lie there waiting for him to quiet down. He sighs a long sigh and groans the same predictable words every single night. "Oh, bed, bed, bed, bed, bed. Oh, bed, bed, bed, bed, bed. Oh, bed, bed, bed"-Ellen, Cleveland, OH. Move over Oprah, Cosmopolitan, Dr. Ruth. Forget clich,s about toilet seats and the TV remote. From over 200 frank (and heroic) married women this is the real thing.115,000 copies in print.
- GenresNonfiction
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 9, 1995
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 14, 2024
I like to pick up random books off the street and read them. This was one. If I was a wife and my husband did half the things mentioned in this book, it would be grounds for divorce. Still, despite putting up with all sorts of vexations and manipulations, the wives in this book are remarkably witty. One of my favorites: "He never rinses the sink. Globules of toothpaste harden on the porcelain. I'm tempted to chisel them off and serve them as after-dinner mints."
I also found it curious that some of the wives did not like their men to groom themselves. They disliked how they meticulously kept after their hygeine. Is that a common sentiment among women dating men, I wondered. I feel like, probably not. I hope.
I also found it curious that some of the wives did not like their men to groom themselves. They disliked how they meticulously kept after their hygeine. Is that a common sentiment among women dating men, I wondered. I feel like, probably not. I hope.
February 10, 2019
I was pulling old books off the shelves at my library’s bookstore where I volunteer, and this was headed for the trash but it looked like it could be cute so I decided to save it. Even though I’m not married and can’t relate, I went ahead and read it.
I was shocked that it has 400 pages, but the book is only like a few inches wide and 3.5 inches long. Most of them are 1-2 sentences but sometimes they're a full paragraph, so it was fast to read. I ended up enjoying this more than I thought I would.
It was amusing that she interviewed women out in public and said they had answers of their husbands' most aggravating qualities, without hesitation or reflection. Sometimes husbands were there and even offered suggestions of their annoying habits.
The women who gave their testimonies have been married for at least 6 years and are aged 27-76. Most seemed so outdated, so much so that I checked and saw it was published in '95. I was so interested to see what people would say now with today's technology and everything. And another thing I noticed was that most of them felt like they were from older people.
She organized them based on the topic, so the same topics would be put together. For example, the ones where the husband went to the store and got all kinds of other things would follow each other, or the ones where the husband collects a lot of junk would be together. It made it all organized but then they all started to sound the same and felt like the page I'd just read. It became kind of redundant and I wished they'd been put in randomly and spaced out.
A page before the title page said "He growls at the dog, just to make it clear who's the boss." Eleanor, New Haven, CT. Then on pg 127 the same quote was used but for a different person. Lois, Phoenix, AZ.
Some stories were terrible! So sexist and infuriating. Not listening to the woman, ignoring her, blaming her for everything, turning her words around on her, having to win every fight. I felt so bad for the women and I would hate to be married to a man like that. It makes marriage seem pretty scary and I saw divorce in their future, or at the least a miserable marriage. These men made me so mad! And it ended on a negative note, because the last topic was about men having to win the fights and arguing, and most of them left off badly, with no compromise and the man winning, and that bothered me.
I was disappointing that there was no wrap-up at the end. It would have been nice to have a few closing lines, imparting a bit of advice to readers or something, instead of just leaving off on a quote.
These women are resigned, sometimes aggrieved, but they are so funny. They still managed to retain a sense of humor about it. The wording of their complaints was comical.
The whole time I kept thinking I'd like to see this rebooted and done today so it would feel more modern and relatable.
I was shocked that it has 400 pages, but the book is only like a few inches wide and 3.5 inches long. Most of them are 1-2 sentences but sometimes they're a full paragraph, so it was fast to read. I ended up enjoying this more than I thought I would.
It was amusing that she interviewed women out in public and said they had answers of their husbands' most aggravating qualities, without hesitation or reflection. Sometimes husbands were there and even offered suggestions of their annoying habits.
The women who gave their testimonies have been married for at least 6 years and are aged 27-76. Most seemed so outdated, so much so that I checked and saw it was published in '95. I was so interested to see what people would say now with today's technology and everything. And another thing I noticed was that most of them felt like they were from older people.
She organized them based on the topic, so the same topics would be put together. For example, the ones where the husband went to the store and got all kinds of other things would follow each other, or the ones where the husband collects a lot of junk would be together. It made it all organized but then they all started to sound the same and felt like the page I'd just read. It became kind of redundant and I wished they'd been put in randomly and spaced out.
A page before the title page said "He growls at the dog, just to make it clear who's the boss." Eleanor, New Haven, CT. Then on pg 127 the same quote was used but for a different person. Lois, Phoenix, AZ.
Some stories were terrible! So sexist and infuriating. Not listening to the woman, ignoring her, blaming her for everything, turning her words around on her, having to win every fight. I felt so bad for the women and I would hate to be married to a man like that. It makes marriage seem pretty scary and I saw divorce in their future, or at the least a miserable marriage. These men made me so mad! And it ended on a negative note, because the last topic was about men having to win the fights and arguing, and most of them left off badly, with no compromise and the man winning, and that bothered me.
I was disappointing that there was no wrap-up at the end. It would have been nice to have a few closing lines, imparting a bit of advice to readers or something, instead of just leaving off on a quote.
These women are resigned, sometimes aggrieved, but they are so funny. They still managed to retain a sense of humor about it. The wording of their complaints was comical.
The whole time I kept thinking I'd like to see this rebooted and done today so it would feel more modern and relatable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2011
OH MY GOSH!!!! This book was hilarious! It was my second time reading it and it was just as funny as the first time. It was all laughs out loud for me. Those poor Women and what they go through with their husbands is insane…but funny, lol. Some of them though were just terrible and grounds for divorce had it been me lol but I’m just glad they shared their stories…or warnings I should say because their stuck with them now, lol.
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May 2, 2015It's hard to get my wife to laugh at anything. She's not unhappy and is generally cheerful. It just takes a lot to get her to laugh at any kind of entertainment including books, movies and TV. But she practically split a gasket laughing while reading this book. She couldn't catch her breath for half an hour afterwards.
April 25, 2008
Read this as a procrastination strategy while at my parents. By the end, I thought it got a little negative.
January 6, 2011
Silly book, but it's laugh-out-loud funny, and I could really relate to it at the time.
August 27, 2014
Every woman will get a chuckle out of this.
August 21, 2020
So many "funny" man stories!
November 9, 2024
Simply hilarious! If you can't put up with your boyfriend/husband's bad little habits, this book is for you. It really proves the theory of the book "men are from Mars, women are from Venus".
October 14, 2019
"I love him, but..." by Merry Bloch Jones is a fun read for sure. This is not a nasty book about men in general, but rather an in depth look at what—specifically—the men women love and care for do that drives them crazy.
We all have our idiosyncrasies. I know I do. There needs to be a healthy give and take for relationships to last. But if men would like a few tips on how to live happy lives with their women, they might want to read this book to see what not to do in their relationships.
We all have our idiosyncrasies. I know I do. There needs to be a healthy give and take for relationships to last. But if men would like a few tips on how to live happy lives with their women, they might want to read this book to see what not to do in their relationships.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews